Royal Romance in the Highlands: Prince William and Kate Middleton Share 'Private Weekend' at Balmoral as Kids Stay With Middletons

In this, "royal year from h---," Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, decided to finally share a "private weekend" together at Balmoral Castle. The future king and queen reportedly dropped Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis off with the Middleton family before heading to the Scottish Highlands estate.

Writing in Vanity Fair, royal expert Katie Nicholl shared, "Palace sources would not comment because the trip was private, however, it is believed to be the first solo trip William and Catherine have made to Scotland without their three children for some time."

Sources near the vast royal enclosure dished, "The Prince and Princess had a private weekend and appeared to be on good form. The King was also in very good spirits."

Nicholl added, "Every year, the family spends a long weekend at Balmoral at the end of August. The late Queen began the tradition and loved to host her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at the castle, a tradition King Charles has continued."

The future queen is officially cancer-free and shared in a "moving" clip on @kensingtonroyal's official social accounts earlier this month. "As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment. The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family," she said. "Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown."

"The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you," the next Queen consort continued. "With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything."

When it comes to private time for the royal couple, it can be very difficult for the pair to get away from royal life.

In his tome, Catherine, the Princess of Wales: A Biography of the Future Queen, scribe Robert Jobson said William would "often whisk Catherine off to Highgrove or Sandringham or to a cottage on the Balmoral estate," when both were dating throughout the 2000s.

"Occasionally, they checked into hotels, using the names Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which doubtless fooled no one," he added when mentioning the popular Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movie released in 2005. The author also shared how William referred to himself as "Steve" when both were studying at the University of St Andrew's from 2001 to 2005. Kate reportedly helped the name stick and would call him by his pseudonym whenever they were in public together.

It is not yet known when the Prince and Princess of Wales will undertake their first joint royal engagement of the year.